MEPs back auditors

European Voice

12/4/13, 8:00 PM CET

Updated 4/15/14, 4:46 PM CET

The European Parliament’s budgetary-control committee has endorsed five candidates put forward by their respective national governments to join the European Court of Auditors, the EU’s external auditor: Henri Grethen, who was being re-nominated by Luxembourg, Nikolaos Milionis (Greece), Danièle Lamarque (France), Alex Brenninkmeijer (Netherlands), and Phil Wynn Owen (UK). The committee decided not to seek a confrontation over Wynn Owen’s nomination. The Parliament cannot block appointments, which are the prerogative of the Council of Ministers, but it has developed the habit of asking candidates whether they will withdraw their candidacy if they do not win the approval of MEPs. Wynn Owen refused to give an unambiguous promise to do so. MEPs earlier this year rejected the last national candidate, Neven Mates of Croatia, only to see him appointed by the Council anyway.